HULL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Daniel Farke, Manager of Leeds United, acknowledges the fans after the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and Leeds United at MKM Stadium on September 20, 2023 in Hull, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Here are our four takeaways from Leeds United’s 3-1 loss to Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium in the Championship, with Pascal Struijk scoring a consolation on an otherwise disastrous day.
A Championship wake-up call
The Championship is ever lurking, waiting to pounce. Ipswich Town and Preston North End are two examples. You’re 3-0 down in 35 minutes to a team coming off four consecutive losses the moment you start getting excited or risk getting carried away with ideas above your level.
Daniel Farke has not been carried away since last weekend’s victory over Watford. Leeds United’s manager has stated numerous times that he is never too euphoric after a victory and never too low after a defeat. However, I doubt he was much company last night.
The Whites were unbeaten in six games, demonstrating defensive tenacity for the first time in years and attempting to emulate the streaks set by Marcelo Bielsa’s 2020 title winners. The fact that the team remained unchanged spoke everything about the level of confidence.
READ MORE: Embarrassment kept Daniel Farke from axing Leeds United after a disastrous start vs Southampton
Farke had been wary of making assumptions about Southampton’s vulnerability, but this felt like a huge opportunity to stab a pre-season rival when they were down and catapult Leeds into the play-off picture in the process. They just never got started.
Nobody deserves to be singled out for criticism. Every one of the 11 starters had a forgettable afternoon. Because the failure was so comprehensive and collective, Farke’s focus may shift to the squad’s overall preparation for this game.
Was there something they didn’t learn in class? Was the training week’s structure appropriate for the players? Did they enter the game unprepared?
From the outside looking in, it’s all speculation because this was so out of character and so different from anything we’ve seen from Farke’s club since that under-strength loss in Birmingham. There was no rhyme or reason as to why everyone’s levels were so low.
From the outside looking in, it’s all speculation because this was so out of character and so different from anything we’ve seen from Farke’s club since that under-strength loss in Birmingham. There was no rhyme or reason as to why everyone’s levels were so low.
On paper, Southampton have a superb squad, one of the best in the division, but with their heads down following four consecutive losses, a half-hour blitz was never expected. The Saints will do this to many more teams over the course of their next 18 home games, and Leeds will undoubtedly suffer more perplexing defeats on the road, but they can’t afford too many more if they want to finish in the top two.
Burnley only lost twice away from home last season. Fulham had five defeats the previous season, and Farke’s Norwich City had four defeats on the road the year before. The Whites have already scored two goals.
There is no reason to overreact to a single loss. Leeds are still in a solid position following a very promising recovery following the Birmingham City catastrophe. This one defeat should not cloud the overall impression of Farke’s performance in the postseason.
Two wins in the next week before the next international break will only rebalance the ship.
Inaction in the battlefield
Farke has mostly used a 4-2-3-1 formation since taking over in July. Until yesterday, it had mostly succeeded, keeping Leeds dangerous in attack and, more lately, solid in defense.
Unfortunately, it didn’t cut it at any point during Saturday’s trip to St Mary’s Stadium, and one of the main takeaways was why he didn’t modify it. Aside from the timid, disjointed aspect of the backline, Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara in the midfield were neither protecting nor generating passing options for the back five.
They were swamped in the middle. While Flynn Downes neutralized Joel Piroe, Will Smallbone and Stuart Armstrong were free to wander St Mary’s. It was mind-boggling how much time and space he was given to wreak havoc in the instance of the latter.
The Whites were unable to put a glove on their guests, who cut through at will during the first hour of the game. Despite this, Farke made no noticeable changes to the formation to counteract the evident risk being posed.
The discussion over Piroe, a centre forward who plays as an offensive midfielder, will rage on until the end of time. It works for a week, with him scoring, and then 90 minutes of anonymity leads to calls for a nine to be played as a nine.
Perhaps Piroe’s lack of natural ability for the midfield side of the role exposed Ampadu and Kamara more than they could handle. An extra natural central midfielder, such as Archie Gray or Ilia Gruev, could have at least stopped the tide of danger.
Leeds then came out completely unchanged, both in personnel and formation, following the half-time break. You had journalists almost banking their lives on a flurry of half-time hooks, but jaws were dropping as the 11 starters returned one by one for a second bite of the apple.
Farke would subsequently explain that he didn’t want to modify anything since he didn’t want to shame people he singled out for early washes. With the score 3-0 after 35 minutes, shame had undoubtedly set in for all of the players.
Yes, the Whites won the second half, but it was far from a convincing 1-0 victory. Gavin Bazunu was scarcely stretched, while the hosts, unsurprisingly, became irritated as the end of their losing streak approached.
What is the purpose of United’s increasingly outstanding bench if not to be utilised when the starting are 3-0 down at halftime? This is the depth of the squad that 49ers Enterprises has helped finance for Farke, and it went unnoticed at halftime.
Bamford is back.
Patrick Bamford finally joined the 2023/24 party on Saturday, but it was lost as a tiny footnote on a fairly dismal day for everyone in Leeds. The number nine was unable to contribute significantly, but he has now launched his campaign, nine weeks after going off at Tynecastle Park.
Farke went to Bamford in the 81st minute with more than enough time for two more goals to square the game, but it never clicked for the visitors for any sustained period of time. Bamford will have more to say in the coming weeks and months, with key goals to be scored, but for now, he will be relieved to be back on the field.
A fast opportunity to move on and forget
Farke and the Whites will undoubtedly be delighted to return to play as soon as Wednesday, at Elland Road, and make amends for yesterday. On the surface, Queens Park Rangers appear to be excellent fodder for an LS11 get-right match.
Gareth Ainsworth’s squad is winless in four games and has only one victory in their past seven league games. Yes, Southampton have just made a joke of the formbook, but The R’s 20th-place result last year demonstrates a constant difficulty at this level over the past year.
Bristol City, another beatable opponent, will finish the week at Elland Road before a fortnight off to regroup. Two wins at home would quickly erase yesterday’s disaster and restore Leeds to a healthy position in the league table.
